Is Materialism All That Bad? Effects on Satisfaction with Material Life, Life Satisfaction, and Economic Motivation

The literature in economic psychology and quality-of-life studies alludes to a negative relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. In contrast, the macroeconomic literature implies a positive relationship between material consumption and economic growth. That is, materialism may be both good and bad. We develop a model that reconciles these two contrasting viewpoints by asserting that materialism may lead to life dissatisfaction when materialistic people evaluate their standard of living using fantasy-based expectations (e.g., ideal expectations), which increases the likelihood that they would evaluate their standard of living negatively. In turn, dissatisfaction with standard of living increases the likelihood that they would evaluate their life negatively. However, materialistic people who evaluate their standard of living using reality-based expectations (e.g., ability expectations) are likely to feel more economically motivated than their non-materialistic counterparts, and this economic motivation is likely to contribute significantly and positively to life satisfaction. Survey data were collected from seven major cities each in a different country (Australia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Germany, Egypt, Korea, Turkey, and the USA) using a probability sample (cluster sampling method involving income stratification). The results provide support for the model. The economic public policy implications concerning how people evaluate their standard of living using ability-based expectations are discussed in the context of the ideals of meritocracy.     

Linking Advertising,Materialism, and Life Satisfaction

This paper develops theory related to advertising, materialism, and life satisfaction by formally testing explanations related to the antecedents and consequences of materialism. Survey data were collected from seven major cities each in a different country (Australia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Germany, Egypt, Korea, Turkey, and the USA) using a probability sample (cluster sampling method involving income stratification). The results showed that the extent to which advertising is perceived to be materialistic contributes to materialism. Materialism, in turn, leads to the frequent use of various standards of comparison in making judgments about standard of living. As judgments about standard of living increase, standard of living is evaluated more negatively. In turn, negative self-evaluations contribute significantly to dissatisfaction with life.     

A life satisfaction measure: Additional validational data for the Congruity Life Satisfaction measure

Meadowet al. (1992) have developed a measure of life satisfaction based on judgment theory, referred to as Congruity Life Satisfaction (CLS). This paper reports the results of a major study involving six samples from different countries testing the construct validity of the CLS measure. The results of these studies provide additional validational support for the CLS measure.     

A method for assessing residents' satisfaction with community-based services: a quality-of-life perspective

A method for assessing residents' satisfaction with community-based services is developed and tested using four samples. The method is based on the theoretical notion that consumer satisfaction with individual government services (e.g., police, fire/rescue, and library), business services (e.g., banking/savings, insurance, and department stores), and nonprofit services (e.g., alcohol/drug abuse services, crisis intervention, and religious services) affect satisfaction with the community at large (global community satisfaction). Ultimately, this global community satisfaction, together with satisfaction with other relevant life domains (work, family, leisure, etc.), affect global life satisfaction. The theoretical notions are explained using bottom-up spillover theory -- a theory highly established in quality-of-life research. This theory applied to the proposed method explains that residents' overall satisfaction with a community can be decomposed into a variety of sub-domains, each of which contributes to their overall feelings about the community. Survey data from four different communities were collected to test the validity of the method. The results provided support to the model and the assessment method and measures used. From a managerial perspective, we showed how the model and the assessment method can be used by community leaders to tap citizens' perception of community quality-of-life and its determinants, identify strategic gaps or problem areas, and take corrective action.